The table below depicts the waste production in six different countries ( Ireland, Poland, Japan, Canada, Scotland and The US) over the span of 12 years, starting from 1988.
Overall, there were upward trends in the amounts of waste produced in Poland, Japan, Canada, Scotland and the US, while the figure for waste production in Ireland showed a downward trend. Noticeably, the amounts of waste produced in the United States exceeded those of the other nations.
From 1988 to 2000, the amount of waste in Japan experienced a steady increase. Additionally, after a sharp rise of around 43 million tonnes between 1988 and 1992, the figure for waste in the US climbed significantly to reach 209 million tonnes at the end of the period. However, after decreasing from 10 million tonnes in 1988 to 2.89 million tonnes in 1992, the figure for wastage in Poland went up markedly to 18 million tonnes over the given period. Likewise, both Canada and Scotland’s production of waste rose considerably by approximately 9 and 2 million tonnes, respectively from 1988 to 2000.
In contrast, commencing at 10 million tonnes in 1988, the amount of waste produced in Ireland climbed gradually to around 6 million tonnes over the course of 4 years. The figure manifested a sustained decline of 6.1 million tonnes till the end of the period.
